1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally appertains to improvements in machinery supports and, more particularly, is directed to a new and novel type of support for motors whereby the motor is supported in a manner to have a refined adjustable relation to some other instrumentality, as, for example, a driven piece of machinery.
2. Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in motor supports of the type shown in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 2,646,951 issued on July 28, 1953. In such patent, a slidable carriage is mounted for sliding movement on cylindrical rods that extend in parallelism between fixed supports. The carriage is adapted to support a motor which drives a piece of machinery through the means of a belt connected between pulleys mounted on the shafts of the motor and the machinery. In such assembly, it is essential that the tension of the belt be initially adjusted with the tension being maintained, thereafter, by spring loading acting on the carriage. It is customary, as disclosed in such patent, for an adjusting screw and follower nut to be employed for the purpose of compressing the springs which in turn provide the required amount of tension in the belt.
However, where such a motor support is operatively disposed in an environment where dust, dirt, sand or other similar granular materials are prelevant or where viscous fluids are present, the threads of the adjusting screw tend to become fouled up and, therefore, the function of the screw is impaired to the extent that it cannot be reliably utilized to move the nut so as to vary the amount of compression placed on the spring loading arrangement for the carriage.